A Swift Descent

The slope dropped down toward the gravel lane. Wide. Clear. I hovered at the crest of the grass for a long time. Watching the dry turf below. Then I tucked my flippers tight against my flank. One sudden heave of my tail. The grass hissed under my belly. Speed came fast—not the cool drift of deep currents, but a hard, dusty skim across the earth. I shot down the incline and skidded onto the path, coming to a dead stop against a thick landscape timber. Little stones scattered in the wake. My breath slowed. The descent was brief... but clean.